Choice: A Strategic Guide for High-Achievers to Stop Autopilot and Navigate Travel with Integrity

Elaina Kelly Smith

Jun 2026 · Ventures & Bloom Press

About this ebook

Stop Living on Remote Control

You look successful on paper, but on the inside, you're exhausted. You've spent years being the "fixer" and the "doer" for everyone else, only to realize you've become a passenger in your own life. You check all the boxes and take care of everyone around you. When you travel, hoping to catch your breath, the stress doesn't disappear. The constant hum of "autopilot" living follows you into crowded terminals and foreign streets, leaving you stuck in decision paralysis or under the pressure of what you "should" be doing.  

This book is a map, but you are the navigator.

In CHOICE, companion traveler and trusted guide Elaina Kelly Smith shares the PARQS Method-a five-step personal guidance system designed to help you interrupt "should" scripts and reclaim what's best for you. This is a practical companion that offers tools to help you navigate your moments with integrity.

Ratings and reviews

Smith’s professional yet personal voice supports that purpose, and the book’s modular design makes it easy to revisit specific exercises when needed. CHOICE is a thoughtful and accessible guide for travelers who want their journeys to deepen their awareness, strengthen their boundaries, and support a more intentional relationship with themselves.

About the author

Elaina Kelly Smith is the Kirkus-reviewed and Literary Titan Silver Award-winning author of Changing Course Gracefully and the founder of Ventures & Bloom Press.

Elaina spent years navigating the "Remote Control Living" of burnout and over-functioning. While her drive was constant, she realized her internal signal had been replaced by a relentless chorus of "shoulds." Her work is grounded in the clarity she found during a global odyssey across seven continents—specifically, a pivotal "passport kiosk" moment where she realized self-trust isn't a destination, but a repeatable, brick-by-brick practice.

Today, she is the creator of the PARQS™ Framework (Preferences, Awareness, Right Action, Questions, Self-Acceptance), a strategic system designed to help fellow high-achievers move off "autopilot" and find safety in their own choices. Recognized as a "first-rate teacher" by Kirkus Reviews, her work has received an Honorable Mention at the Southern California Book Festival, is recommended by Booklife (Publishers Weekly), and has earned multiple 5-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite.

Elaina’s writing avoids the "hustle culture" tropes of traditional self-help, offering instead a grounded, reflective space for those standing at a crossroads. Through her books and the Ventures & Bloom ecosystem, she serves as a fellow traveler for anyone ready to navigate the "messy middle" of life with clarity, calm, and foundational self-trust.